


I'm not sure, but I hope I'm wrong about you

by WolfSpiritHunter



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Character Study, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Gay Panic, Getting to Know Each Other, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Lesbian Character, Mild Language, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Swearing, Work In Progress, help me, i dont know what im doing, just a bit though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:13:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25612648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfSpiritHunter/pseuds/WolfSpiritHunter
Summary: "Well she's been staring at you all day...""I thought you just knew her or something."Viney froze. Her face flushed, the redness going down her neck and up her ears. Her own eyes went wide, jaw almost going slack, and she tried to gulp down the knot in her throat but it felt suddenly felt so dry-Oh. Oh no.Oh no no no.No way in Hell.Jerbo looked ar her in worry. (Bless his little soul.) "Uh, Viney? Viney are you alright?" he asked, leaning forward to get a better look at her face. "Wow, you're really red!"Inspired by naosucheeks on Twitter!  Her little comic really gave me motivation for this.
Relationships: Emira Blight/Viney
Comments: 95
Kudos: 487





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first fic ever? Please be kind, English isn't my first language and my friend didn't want to beta read for me (the traitor)
> 
> Enjoy reading though!

Viney isn't that well known.

Even before Luz came and got them out of the Detention Track. Not even now, after she is allowed to study multiple tracks (the ones she actually wanted) she is pretty invisible among the Hexide students. Not many people besides her ex-troublemakers friends know about her and her interests. And to be honest?

She was totally fine with it.

(And maybe if she keeps telling herself that she will believe it.)

She was fine with being the ghost. She had humble beginnings, not the popularity or the favour of her teachers. She had normal, simple attire, not those overly fancy and clean uniforms Boscha's gang had. She was finally studying what she wanted, but the whispers in the hall didn't stop.

Viney blinked. She swallowed. Her eyes refocused.

She was in the cafeteria. And her sandwich was dripping peanut butter on her fingers.

She frowned and grabbed a napkin to clean her hands while her thoughts kept repeating.

When did I get here, how long have I been thinking?

Satisfied that her fingers were no longer sticking to each other, she took her sandwich again, her stomach grumbling as she prepared to take a bite.

"Hey, are you friends with Emira Blight by any chance?" Jerbo asked, happily munching on his chocolate bar. Luz gave him one of those once, saying it was was one of the greatest sweet human inventions. He refused to eat anything else for desert after that.

She exhaled in frustration and was about to face him and very calmly tell him to let her eat because she was feeling cranky and very much hungry and they both know how scary she is when she's hungry when her mind better registered his words.

Emira Blight? Weren't her and her brother the ones from the Illusion Track that Augustus kept blubbering about? He always said that they were "the best" and "so cool" , and he also said something about them being at the top of their track? He also informed her of their troublemaker tendencies, even though their parents never let anything happen to their spotless record.

Yeah she strongly believed someone like that wouldn't even think to interact with her.

"Uhh no, why?"

Jerbo shrugged, "Well she's been staring at you all day..." What? "I thought you just knew her or something."

Viney rapidly glanced around the cafeteria, searching. Her ears could pick up some commotion in the background, but that was probably Luz doing something dangerous and stupid. When she noticed that what she was looking for wasn't immediately in her field of vision she slowly, in an almost scared manner, turned her head her head towards the "cool kids table". It was named like that for a reason, because only those with really high social status sat there. (It was also the only one with a decent view outside and to the beast cages which makes Viney the tiniest bit saltier every time she thinks about it.)

When she made eye contact, Emira's widened.

Oh god she had been staring at her.

The green haired witch didn't seem fazed by getting caught however. She smirked slightly, then leisurely let her head rest on her hand with a wink. Her hair was in a loose braid, flowing down her back, and her bangs were neatly arranged to lightly frame her seemingly glowing face.

Viney froze. Her face flushed, the redness going down her neck and up her ears. Her own eyes went wide, jaw almost going slack, and she tried to gulp down the knot in her throat but it felt suddenly felt so dry-

Oh. Oh no.

Oh no no no.

No way in Hell.

Jerbo looked ar her in worry. (Bless his little soul.) "Uh, Viney? Viney are you alright?" he asked, leaning forward to get a better look at her face. "Wow, you're really red!"

She tore her gaze away, and abruptly rose from her seat. She hurriedly tried to pack her books, but Jerbo stopped her.

"H-hey!" he exclaimed, setting his hand on her backpack. "You didn't even eat anything!"

"I'm not hungry," she mumbled as a response, prying his hands off her backpack and shouldering it.

She was already distancing herself from the table when he yelled after her, "But weren't you complaining about-"

"I'm not hungry!" she growled back. She turned her back to the room as she went out through the exit, not wanting to hear the whispers and feel those eyes she dreaded so much on her.

\--------------------------------------

She splashed water on her face. It was cold, freezing her nose and cooling down her cheeks.

Good. She did it again. But her breaths were a bit uneven and heavy, and it shouldn't make her feel like she was lacking in oxigen. It shouldn't affect her. Not one fucking wink, no.

Viney inhaled sharply. She got out of the cafeteria to have space, not think about stupid attractive rich kids in a bathroom.

She shook her head. Fuck.

Viney had experience with their kind. So cool, awesome and fun on the outside, until they get bored of you and your company and suddenly you're the next target. Their next pray. Insults and pranks, sabotage and humiliation, they really won't stop at nothing. They use you.

Its for fun, they say.

She touches her earring, the reflection in the mirror copies it. She chuckles, a dry hollow sound that resonates so wrongly in her ears, but she can't help it.

It wasn't amusing. But in a way it was.

How she can heal the wounds of others, but not her own.

A low grumble snaps her out of it, hunger coiling in her gut. She sighs and looks down at her crossed hands. She should have listened to Jerbo, now her next class is going to be a pain.

She hears a growl, but it isn't from her this time. The restroom sink had it's edge rimmed with teeth, wide open and some of them were cracked and missing, the gums red and inflated.

She gasps. "Oh gosh I'm so sorry!" She fumbles to turn of the ice cold water that was still running, "I didn't notice! Sorry sorry sorry!" When the water stopped, she slightly leaned over the sink, gently asking, "Will you let me take a look?"

There was another growl. Softer this time.

"I'll take that as a yes."

After gently prodding around the gums, and doing it a once over to see if the sink had any other cracks or problems, she slowly traced a circle above each damaged tooth with intense focus. It should be an easy fix, but if she misplaces the spell, even by one inch, it's not gonna be pretty. The circles pulse and glow, the teeth are slowly mending themselves, broken halves sticking together and missing ones growing back completely. In a minute or so, the sink's denture couldn't have looked better any better.

It gave such a happy adorable chirp that Viney had to laugh. Eve if she was a tad upset that the student using the restroom are absolutely irresponsible, she was glad that she could help the poor thing. 

She gently pat it's edge, "I'm glad you're feeling better but..." She sheepishly smiled, "do you think you can let me wash my hands?" 

The sink opened its mouth wider as an answer.

"Thanks pal."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahaha I'm tired ksndksbd
> 
> My friend was kinda lazy so expect some mistakes, and keep in mind my first language isn't English 
> 
> Enjoy reading!

Weeks. It had been weeks.

She wasn't sure about the number, but it didn't feel like that much time passed so it couldn't be a month, so seven to fourteen have come and gone since she stormed out during lunch.

It had been seven to fourteen days since she set foot in the cafeteria again. And truly, she tried. Her feet would carry her there, more muscle memory than anything, and she would absentmindedly chat with Jerbo or Barkus (both on some occasions) but when she would see the door to the entrance, her body would do a full turn in the other direction while her brain came up with excuses for her mouth to spout while she slowly retreated.

"Ah geez! I forgot to feed Puddles!"

"Oh no! I forgot my Healing 101 book!"

"I forgot to turn in an assignment! I need to go!"

All of them ended the same.

"See you after class !"

Not "see you later", no. "Later" would mean she would move fast enough to get back to lunch, "later" would mean entering the cafeteria and staying there until the bell screamed, "later" would mean-

No. Just... No later.

The boys were worried and rightfully so. They would attempt to talk her out of bailing lunch, (Jerbo tried at least; Barkus would sneeze and yeep.) or convince her to at least tell them what was wrong so they could help. They would take the longer route around the school so she had time to talk if she wanted to, they brought her cool knick knacks that they found around the school which looked like some of the beasts from her track, and they even somehow managed to convince Principal Bump himself to serve her favorite desert in the cafeteria!

(She stayed silent when walking, the things would make her smile but she changed the subject, the food looked mouth watering but she asked to eat outside.)

Not to mention that she would constantly avoid classrooms or halls that were frequented by the Illusion Track. It didn't matter if she made another ten minutes to class if she didn't spot any bright blue sleeves around every turn.

She always got there in time so what was the problem anyway?

Avoidance, something in her mind whispered. You are avoiding, avoiding, avoiding-

There was a small "creak" as the metal fork bended in her hands, digging into her palm. She gasped, letting out a pained hiss. She jerked her hands towards her chest, while the traitorous piece of cutlery clattered on the ground. Viney carefully opened her palm, noticing deep markings in her skin. Thankfully there was no bleeding.

It still stung a lot though.

"Damn," she lately whispered to the outside air. She had finished the last of her classes when her own hunger caught up with her. She decided to sit outside on the stairs leading to Hexide's entrance so she could wolf down whatever she packed for the day.

That didn't ask for a fork attack, seriously now.

After slowly flexing her fingers to get the pain to recede faster, she tried to reach in her backpack to search for the small dose of healing salve her Healing teacher gave her for the "exceptional work" in class. Validation felt nice.

Multiple screams were heard from withing the forest, and Viney froze. Her eyes snapped towards the direction of the sound, frantically feeling around in her backpack.

"Help!"

Her hand fiercely grabbed the healing vial, making a mad dash into the forest. A healer always answers the call.

She just hopes she wouldn't have to use any healing at all.

There wasn't a clear path in the woods, so she had to twist and turn around multiple overgrown branches and spiky bushes. Whoever was in danger kept yelling, and Viney thanked The Nine Covens that they were smart enough for that.

Her leg tangled in a surface tree root and she fell.

Hard.

She landed on her back, all her breath wheezing out of her. It ached, it ached, it ached but she had to get up get up and go help-

Stay put child, she heard somewhere deep within her mind. You're nowhere near prepared for such a task, just stay down there and wait for someone else to come.

"They need help!" She grunted. Her back prickled when she got herself in a sitting position, and her leg was shaking when she tried to lift herself up.

You are not good enough for this. You already fell. Just go back and let someone else deal with it.

"Damn you... Shut it! Hey!" She barked. "Keep shouting! I'm on my way!"

The response was almost immediate, "Guys it's Viney!" That voice sounded awfully familiar. "Viney, over here! Viney!"

Her leg still shook when she finally got up but she sucked it up, bit the inside of her cheek and started running again. She pushed away some bushes and found herself overlooking a large clearing.

But there was no one there?

"What the..."

"Up here!" The familiar voice said again. It seemed to be coming-

From above?

She snapped her head upwards in shock. "Luz?!"

The girl dangling upside down  
from the sky timidly waved. "Hi! C-can you um... Get us down?"

Floating in mid air and desperately grabbing onto Luz's legs was that girl with the "little miss perfect" attitude and the Blight twins.

Viney blanched. The Bligh twins.

Run, that thing in her head whispered again. You can run now, you can say you'll get better help, just get out child.

She gritted her teeth, eyes hardening.

"A healer always answers a call for help dear," her teacher said once. His voice was always so much softer, and kinder than the kids who would tell and hiss at her in the halls.

"Always?" Her younger self asked, eyes bright with so much innocence and light.

"Always."

"How did you even managed to get up there?" She looked up at them, amusement clear on her face. They were at least ten feet in the air, slowly spinning around in a comical attempt to grab onto eachother. She noticed the twins starting to feel embarrassed, both of them looking more red than they were several seconds before. Viney tried to ignore the warm feeling coiling in her gut at Emira's flush.

After a long minute, her brother - Edric was it? - finally gave in. With a defeated groan he answered, "We were messing around in the beast cages and some huge black bird with spikes attacked us..."

She could have sworn she saw red. Viney was no longer amused. "YOU DID WHAT?!"

"We're sorry, okay? It didn't seem like a bad idea at the time!" Oh he was so not helping their case.

"But sneaking into a giant bird's nest without even a student from the Beast Keeping Track for protection was an excellent decision to make?" Viney was positively fuming at this point. "And don't tell me you did because you all know this wouldn't have happened if you did! Oh, when I get you down here you're gonna wish the Float Crow got you first!" She jabbed an accusatory finger in Luz and Miss Perfect's direction. "And you! What do you two have to say for yourselves?!"

Luz was almost on the verge of tears. "I was just walking home with Amity when we saw the twins in danger! We only tried to help!" She paused. "Wait, what's a Float Crow?"

Viney forcefully exhaled, trying incredibly hard not to hurl the vial with the salve at their dumb faces. How did they even survive this long was an utter mystery to nature itself.

"Please just get us down..." That Amity girl squeaked lamely, her face red. (Probably from the blood rushing to her head, she was upside down after all.)

Viney twirled a finger.

The four floating kids yelped, and crashed down on solid land with collective noises of pain.

\-------------------------------------

After thirty minutes or so of Viney lecturing them about their stupid life decisions and explaining how she just removed the spines of the Float Crow from their backs - ("So wait, those things were the only reason we were up in the sky?" "Along with the realisation of your stupidity." "Wait what really?" "No, Edric!") they all rode on Puddles' back to Hexide's entrance again.

When they landed Luz and the twins wobbled a bit when when jumping off the griffon's back. Only Amity (which Viney remembered was the smaller sister of the twins) was the seemingly composed one , but the green of her face betrayed her. Luz was the first to depart, running like mad while yelping something along the lines of, "Eda is going to kill me!"

Soon enough the Blights would be leaving as well.

The witch pushed down the feeling of disappointment in her chest. There was nothing that should make her feel that way.

"Hey uh, Viney?"

Her heart leaped in her throat and she barely stopped herself from jumping in the air. Oh boy oh boy oh boy-

She slowly turned around. "Yeah?" She answered.

Emira smiled at her, (that warmth coiled in her gut again) a shy, crooked thing while putting her hands behind her back. "I-" she coughed. "We never thanked you properly for saving us back there. Without your help we would still be stuck floating to who knows where."

Viney had half a mind to give her a sarcastic response. To bite back something along the lines of "If you weren't that stupid you wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place!"

It would ensure the idea that Viney didn't like them. That she didn't want anything to do with them, and she only helped them because she's a healer, and that's what healers do.

But she is a healer. And healers aren't cruel.

She waved away the apology. "It's fine, it's fine!" She laughed, and subtly swallowed to moisturise her dry throat. "It's kind of my job honesty, being in the Healing Track and all that."

Emira giggled. Viney felt like she was going to die. "That's true, but there's also something I need to ask of you," she said. One of her hands gestured to Edric behind her, who was now struggling to turn his donkey ears back to his normal ones. "Me and my brother went inside the cages because we needed references for a project we are working on." She tilted her head towards the forest. "As you know, that didn't really go so well."

It really didn't.

"So I was wondering if you're willing to go with me next time?" She asked. "For protection of course."

Blank. Viney's mind went blank, blank, blank. White sheet. A hundred percent empty. 

"Uhh..."

"I get that we caused some trouble, but if it's only you and me it shouldn't be that bad right?" Emira's eyes were so gold and wide with hope.

Viney swallowed again. Dammit, she really couldn't say no.

"Okay."

Emira beamed. "Great! We could meet here? Same time next week? It should give me enough time to get what I need and have a few days extra to look it over and edit it if necessary."

She dumbly nodded, having heard at least half of what the other with said.

"Cool! It's a date!" Emira winked.

Heart went into overdrive, prepare "panic" serum-

Before she could say anything Emira was already dragging along her siblings while calling back, "Thanks cutie!"

Here lies Viney, great friend and exceptional Hexide student. Cause of death, being called "cutie".

"Puddles what have I gotten myself into?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Emira you smooth tiger.
> 
> Viney: Do you ever just *gay panic*
> 
> Yeah this this is totally gonna have more chapters even though I have no idea how many or where it's gonna go. Sooo yes give me comments guys I need them.
> 
> They're food yum.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay now that I left that authors note I can finally be productive and do good stuff as a member of society! Ok let's see-
> 
> Brain: hey grom is tomorrow and dana released promo art for it
> 
> Oh. Okay... It's fine it's fine I can still focus on what I need to do
> 
> Brain: also here's this cool story idea you gotta write since rarepairs are your thing apparently
> 
> Yes... But later
> 
> Brain: and here's this cool idea that I just had for your chapter that you gotta go finish now since this totally works with what you want
> 
> Insomnia: hi I am also here *bonks*
> 
> BUT-
> 
> brain: wRiTe tHe lEsBiAnS
> 
> I'm such a liar my God ksnxkhakdhdks
> 
> Here. Have this 3517 word long nonsense that I have no idea how it got so long I'm praying for your attention spans here-
> 
> I known said ill take a break BUT I COULDNT HELP MYSELF KSNXKSJDH IM SO SORRY GUYS-

"And then she called it a date! A date guys! A date!"

Luz whistled. "Wow, you're really taking this seriously aren't you?"

Viney groaned.

"But hey! Look at the bright side," Jerbo said, grinning from within the crystal ball, "at least you know that she may have the hots for you!"

Barkus snorted in agreement.

They were all supposed to be working on some assignments via crystal ball, but when Luz decided to join a few minutes ago they completely disregarded them and started talking. 

Luz asked one simple question "So why haven't you been in the cafeteria lately?" And boy oh boy Viney just dropped everything she had on her plate.

The three stood shocked while she was ranting without taking a breath, clearly underestimating how much she can keep bottled up. While they knew that something was off when she avoided that one specific part of the school multiple times, they didn't really think it was that serious.

(She didn't mention the voice. She never does.)

She scoffed. "No, I don't know that Jerbo. It was just the slip of a tongue. It's probably not even a big deal and I'm..." She sighed. "And I'm fussing over nothing."

"What about the "cutie" part though?" Luz asked. 

"I'm pretty sure she calls everyone that actually," Jerbo said.

Luz shot him a look. 

Barkus huffed, then shook his head.

He nervously chuckled. "Sorry?"

"Guys!" She frustratingly called for their attention. "I don't need to know if she likes me that way or not! I need to not make a fool of myself in front of her!"

"Oh right." Luz blinked. "Well uh... Did she give any details about what she even wants to do in the beast cages?"

"No? And honestly, I wasn't paying that much attention either." She tiredly rubbed her knuckles, cheek flat on the counter. "I just... Can't seem to think straight around her."

Luz giggled. They all gave her weird looks.

"Sorry, sorry! Its just-" she snorted, waving her hands in a dismissive manner. "It's a human thing don't worry."

"Alright..." Jerbo said, unsure. "Well then! Let's focus on that, shall we? You need to go to the beast cages as protection for someone else. What are you supposed to do in that situation?"

Viney answered almost immediately. "If during school hours a student must accompany another in the beast section of Hexide, they need to prepare certain herbs, meats, fruits, or veggies that can calm down/ distract the beast in case of an emergency."

"Alright! Now, what about your own protection?"

"Students who need to enter the beast cages can wear their Hexide uniforms, or casual attire, while assuring that said articles of clothing are flexible and durable, not slowing down the student in case of an emergency exit."

Jerbo smirked. "And there you have it. That's what you gotta do."

"Wow! How did you do that?" Luz was wide-eyed, an extremely excited look on her face. "She sounded exactly like one of those books we read in class!"

"Ah..." Viney felt a bit timid. "When I first came to Hexide I used to read the Beast Track and Healing manuals every day over and over again. It was mostly because I wanted to do a good job, and a good first impression." She laughed. "I was really paranoid back then. Still am. Because of that constant reading and reciting it's... Stuck to my brain in a way?"

"And whenever she gets asked a question regarding that, she goes full-on book nerd," Jerbo said, shrugging. "It's useful when she freaks out, but more so when it comes to tests. She always got the maximum score on verbal exams."

Viney was absolutely blushing now. "Yeah okay, that's enough-"

Luz squeaked so loud her crystal ball couldn't keep up with the frequency. "Oh my gosh, you're so smart! So so smart and so humble I can't-"

The human was literally vibrating in her seat, making odd high pitched noises.

"Luz it's not a big deal!" The witch frantically tried to explain. "Please stop doing whatever you're doing before you get hurt!"

She immediately stilled, looking at something far away behind the crystal. "Oh shoot! Sorry guys I gotta go! Nice chat, talk to you later-!" 

Her screen went black.

Barkus let out a string of whines, similar to laughter. 

"Oh, my sweet Belos..." She exhaled. "Please tell me I wasn't the only one who thought she was going to explode?!"

Jerbo looked a little pale. "Yeah." He whispered. "Yeah, you weren't."

Barkus cackled even louder.

\-----------------------------------------------------

They studied a few more minutes after that, two in too much of a shock, and the third amused the whole time. They kept saying that it wasn't funny, but Barkus would laugh harder. 

When the call ceased, she felt fear.

She was alone. It wasn't good when she was alone.

It always spoke so much more when there was silence.

'They hung up a little too soon,' she heard once again, almost on cue honestly, like a crawling snake at the edge of her mind. 'Maybe they are getting tired of you?'

"You have been much more talkative lately," she sighed. And it was true. Honestly, she didn't even know why she kept talking to it. It never answered, never talked back, but always came to whisper horrid thoughts. At night, in her slumber, at school, at the most insignificant moments, it was just. There.

Even when there was silence. She could feel something, sometimes see, like dark green mist, but with more consistency. Slime perhaps? It sat there, watching with non-existent eyes her every move, and occasionally almost moving up and down her limbs. Almost like it was trying to control them. 

It kept her company though. Could she count that as a bonus?

Thankfully, Viney was a sane person. So no, it was definitely not a bonus.

But still, it was intriguing. Perhaps slightly concerning. She couldn't pinpoint the exact time and place she first heard it, or what caused it to appear. She knew it had been with her for some time now, so not really a recent development. But whenever she wracked her brain to find out when, how, and why it appeared, it came out empty. It was like... A huge blank where information was supposed to be. 

Viney frowned. If that thing starts erasing memories she'll have to get rid of it immediately.

'You're too weak child,' that stupid slime-like thing spoke again. 'You're not strong enough. What makes you think you're capable of banishing anything at all? You're not even on the right track for it. You're practically usle-'

She slammed a fist on the table.

There was silence again.

She flexed her fingers, and slowly stretched her neck. Her back tingled, her chest felt too small.

She needed to buy some new clothes for next Friday. She needed to buy new clothes. For protection.

To protect Emira.

Viney stood up, grabbed her normal everyday backpack, and went straight out the door.

She will never listen to that thing.

Never.

\-----------------------------------------------------

The Market was remarkably busier today; the vendors literally running back and forth between pleased and less than pleased customers, trying hard to sell whatever they brought to their stand at three times the original price.

It almost made her laugh honestly.

Still, the reason Viney arrived here was not to sightsee, and the more she stood instead of walking was precious time wasted in getting want she needs. And so, adjusting the straps on her trusty backpack, she set onwards and further into the market. It was louder and much more luminous for some reason like someone turned up the brightness on their light spell. It was smellier for sure. She noticed a few new stands here and there, with foreign objects, probably from distant corners of The Boiling Isles, and some more with exotic fruits and veggies.

While they were on her list, they were certainly too expensive, and if she dared to even sneak a peek at the prices her budget would scream.

Literally. It was the utmost annoying when it did that.

And so she walked past.

You know, considering she had been hyper-focused on a really cool dragon tooth from one of the stands, one would think she would be just a little bit less attentive to her surroundings. 

And she was.

Her side collided into someone, and she would've almost tripped over a badly placed rope if she didn't grab onto one of the pillars surrounding the entirety of The Market. She also latched on the other person's hood, (why were they wearing a hood oh no was it a bandit oh god-) pulling them upwards so they wouldn't fall down.

'Okay, Viney, just apologize and step away, you don't want to be attacked right here, there are too many people who can get hurt-'

"Viney?" The hooded figure whispered... But it sounded so familiar?

"Uh..." She frantically searched for the closest practical exit. "Yes?" She tightened her grip on the hood, ready to grab and throw the person away-

"Hey, watch it! You're grabbing my hair!" They squirmed in her grasp, and she let them go. Again, such a familiar voice... "Yeesh, I'm honestly worried about whatever you keep in the beast cages with a grip like that! Ouch!"

Then it clicked. Viney almost sputtered, "Emira?!"

She lowered her head a bit, trying to look under the dark shadow cast by the fabric. "What are you doing here?"

"Firstly, yes it's me. Secondly, what's so wrong about a girl waiting to go on a trip to the market? And thirdly, frankly, I could ask you the same thing."

"With a hood of all things? I thought I was going to get robbed."

"Sorry if I can't exactly show my face in a place like this!"

"You would be less suspicious dressed as the Glandys mascot!"

"That's-" she froze. She grabbed Viney's sleeve, tugging urgently, all the color almost draining from her face. "Hide me."

"Wait, what? Where am I supposed to-" 

"I don't care! Anywhere! Hide me!"

Viney quickly looked around.

Then shoved Emira in the giant heap of decorative fabric next to them. 

Viney cringed. Damn her instincts.

The poor girl stumbled and fell in it with the grace of a drunk giraffe, letting out a squeak. Viney then proceeded to drag a small piece from one of the numerous multicolored cloths over her, smoothly making it look she was an intrigued client just looking at things to purchase. She lowly hissed, "Don't move."

When she noticed that the barely visible bump in the material stilled, she subtly looked at her surroundings from the corner of her vision. There were a few monsters, some really old witches that didn't appear to be able to see anything in front of them, but no one that could be potentially dangerous to Emira.

'Maybe she lied child,' was heard. 'After all, you know her type.'

"Ugh," she let out. "The coast seems to be clear. I think you can come out now."

"You think?" Was the response. So much snark.

Viney rolled her eyes. "You can certainly come out now." She added under her breath, "Your Highness."

Emira tugged off the thin cloth on her face, "What was that last part?"

Viney smirked. "Nothing important." She watched in amusement for a few seconds as the girl tried to yank herself away from the heap, seemingly engaged in a battle of strength. As you might expect it was a total defeat.

After watching that little funny moment for a few more seconds, she decided it was time to give her a break.

"You do remember we have magic right?"

Emira stopped. Her cheeks flared up, tinting them the most beautiful shade of bright red Viney ever saw. Her heart fluttered the tiniest bit. 

"I merely do not want to captivate unnecessary attention," she muttered, looking like a sad puppy, and oh by the will of The Nine Covens Viney's heart ached in a way that left her simply a touch breathless-

No. She squashed the thought just as fast as it came. She knows their type, she knows. And she dislikes them. She doesn't like them and she never will, not after Glandys. They were all the same. All of them were the same wherever she went. She looks at her face, at the truthfully gorgeous crimson on her cheeks, golden eyes with the potential of such a piercing gaze now softened by the pout on her lips. Her head screamed at her in a desperate, terrified way to stop, stop thinking like that before she falls deeper in a hole that she doesn't know the contents of-

And yet... Just maybe... If she tries...

She gently laughed. "As I said Emira, you would be so much more subtle wearing the mascot of our rival school but..." She smiled, a soft little thing, sensing a small tingle on her tongue when she formed the name, "you do you." Viney outlined a spell circle over the remaining fabric still clinging to the other girl, and it slowly detached itself, going back to it's original, neatly folded form. She pulled her hand back, almost feeling obligated to do so, turning away to go back to her initial path.

"Hey..."

The delicate voice stopped her.

"Can I come with you? I could... Keep you company?"

No. No no no. Say no, say no, say no, say-

Say.

Say.... yes.

Yes?

It's an option. Yes sounds like a good option. She wants that to be an option.

For once.

For once let yourself enjoy something akin to happiness. 

So Viney inhaled, a slightly unsteady drag of air, and her chest warmed. 

"Of course, Your Highness, " she answered, a lopsided grin on her face and a sparkling glint in her eye. "Wouldn't ask for anything else."

Emira beamed.

\-----------------------------------------------------

As they walked, it was silent. And yes, while it was a comfortable silence that made her lose the tension in her shoulders, that made her feel like it was safe to just be like silent for a while, it was still that.

Silence.

And when there is silence, there is her whispering parasite.

It was going to show up soon, and Viney was not in the mood for that.

So as much as it pained her to do so, she needed to break this cozy atmosphere.

"Emira?" 

Her companion looked like a deer caught in headlights for a solid second. But then she coughed politely in her hand and a more neutral expression came over her face. "Yes?"

She wondered what was that about.

"Why did I need to throw you in a carpet pile?"

Emira scowled at that. "In hindsight, you could have done literally anything but."

Viney smirked. "I still did it, but you didn't answer my question, " she looked at her face, "why did I have to do it? Is someone after you or something?"

The other which sighed. "I wish it was that." She turned her hear forward to set her eyes on the road, and Viney thought that maybe she should so that too. "No, I don't have any stalkers, but my parents are exceptionally strict. Not only that but they have a multitude of alliances, " she waved a hand seemingly annoyed, "when I asked you to conceal me I saw some kids from Hexide that I hang out with, not on my own accord I might add. They're delightful and all, but if anyone we're to spill the beans of my whereabouts it would be those guys. And I don't want my parents to find about my excursions to this place since-" she paused. She grabbed her arm, shoulders tensing. "I just really don't want them to."

Viney looked at her, something akin to wonder on her face. 

So... When Emira rambles... She uses fancy upper-class words?

Viney was not, in fact, or in any way shape or form, coming up with an imaginary plan to make her speak more.

No. No her. Wrong witch.

"Your parents sound like assholes to me." She stated, shrugging. Then froze.

Oh shit oh no shit shit they're her parents why did you say that why oh gods-

She heard laughter. She heard silver bells ringing, an elegant sound, weaving through her brain like a bouquet of wonderful flowers, and turning to the side she saw the beauty of a joyous angel.

Viney blinked her face feeling too warm for her liking. The fuck was that about-

Emira slightly exhaled, her laughter dying down, and nodded, still giggling. "Yeah... Yeah, they kinda are."

Was this what falling off a cliff at killing speeds felt like? She resisted the urge to actually shake away the feeling, not wanting to make a fool of herself. She expected Angry Emira or even I Never Want To See You Again Emira not-

Not this completely different thing that will surely plague her at random times of the day and never leave. It's unknown and probably very much dangerous, and dangerous things can be deadly, and deadly things can kill a witch. But that idea is absurd, because how can the mannerisms of a person possibly kill you? I mean sure if they have ill intent maybe, but Emira? She might come from a well-off family, but she never actually intentionally harmed anyone.

Right?

'Child... You know their type.'

Flames of anger rose up to her heart.

'And I know you should shut the fuck up once in a while. But not all wishes come true so I'm stuck with your annoying ass.'

'They don't like people like you. They get everything they want without lifting a finger while you struggle to climb up the food chain.'

'Oh my God at this point I wonder if you even hear me at all-'

'You're not strong enough to climb to their level. You never had anything. You try so hard but it's always that one little slip-up-'

'No.'

'It undoes everything you worked so hard for. And you stumble. You fall down, down back to the bottom of the hell you tried to get out of. Glandys did a good thing when they let you move. Who would even tolerate such weakness?'

'Shut it.'

'No wonder no one liked you back there. You weren't good enough for them. It's a miracle you managed to enroll in Hexide.'

'Shut. It.'

'I wonder if that's why your parents didn't decide to raise you at all.'

'SHUT UP-'

"Hey, Viney?"

Her thought process came to a screeching halt, her brain crashing hard back into reality. She looked around, quickly surveying the surroundings. Her eyes were a bit unfocused, she could still feel rage licking at her heart, but she finally managed to remember where she was.

The market. She came here to get a new set of clothes. For Friday.

For her meeting with Emira.

Oh yeah. She asked a question.

"Uh, Viney? You alright?"

"Yes-" her voice came out a bit too hoarse for her own liking. She swallowed and tried again. "Yes. Yes I'm fine. I think I spaced out a bit?"

"Oh, okay? But like... What is this?" Emira pointed to the stand in front of them, which obviously has seen some better days. It looked literally beaten up, half broken down and half molding. 

Were those flies zipping around it?

"Oh, " she said in surprise. "We're here."

How long has she been thinking? When did they get there? How did they do it so fast? 

"Here... Which is where precisely? It's-" she kicked some wood away, "-visibly abandoned. I don't doubt your sense of direction Viney, but are you sure this is the right place?"

A tremor went down her spine when she heard her name. It made the flames of her rage less significant. 

She swallowed again. "Yes Emira, this is where we're supposed to be." The witch let her backpack fall on the ground, unzipped it, and started rummaging through it in search for something.

"It doesn't look like anything though."

Her hand closed around one of the black pieces of chalk at the bottom. She took it out. Looked at it.

She saw those small cracks in it, minuscule, barely visible, and the way the dust left gray-ish smudges on her fingers. If she were to apply pressure, the cracks would widen, and the chalk would sever in two.

Mistakes in the mold are anyone's undoing.

She traced a circle around the two of them, large enough to have space to walk around. She drew a line, cutting it in half, then two small triangles outside the circle where the two points of the line connected to the circle.

She walked to the middle, and drew a small keyhole. She pressed the tip of the chalk right in the center of it.

She looked at Emira from the corner of her eye. "Don't judge a book by its cover Your Highness."

She twisted the chalk.

The ground gave, and Emira screeched as they fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha me projecting on Viney go BRR-
> 
> I'm sleepy guys and Grom IS TOMORROW IM SO SCARED AH-
> 
> GATHER YOUR TISSUES JUST IN CASE FOLKS
> 
> also I keep forgetting so here: my twitter is hahalumity where I just exist (I can post chapter sneak peaks I guess but I don't know what you guys want so tell me)
> 
> Speaking of Twitter if you haven't checked out naosucheeks there yet what are you doing she's amazing ksbdksb she's the only reason I even started this thing so go give her love-
> 
> haha I think I'ma pass out I'm not ready for grom yeet-


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update this! I had some complicated stuff to take care of!
> 
> Remember, my first language isn't English! Enjoy the chapter guys!

Viney was sure that this is what falling off cliffs was supposed to feel like. It was kind of peaceful, and very much quiet.

"Holy mother of all that is divine! If I die I'm going to kill you!" Emira screamed.

Viney scoffed. It used to be quiet.

"I regret, I regret it! I regretfully regret everything I've ever done in my entire life! Please please please oh my sweet Belos I can't-" the witch curled up in a ball, hands over her face and clothes wildly blasted by the wind as they fell. She looked close to shaking, probably desperately blubbering prayers. Viney's heart started to sting in a way it shouldn't, and she reached out before her mind registered what she was doing. Her hands gingerly grabbed the other girl's shoulders gently pulling her towards herself. She embraced her, instincts shouting at her to reassure, to save, and slowly let her chin rest in Emira's hood-covered head.

"It's okay, " she whispered, tightening her grip around the other girl. "It's okay."

Emira relaxed just a fraction but still refused to un-curl herself. She turned her head, burying it fearfully in Viney's shoulder and tried to slow her breathing. While she was doing that, Viney was internally screaming, almost choking on air. When she initiated the contact she hoped it would just be a short hug and her scared companion would feel better, so she can finish what she started. Otherwise, they would keep falling for a while, and as much as she liked the silence, she didn't want to hear it forever.

But she didn't make any move to pry the other off her. She needed some semblance of comfort, and Viney will give it. 

So they stayed like that, in the dark and falling endlessly. Viney felt warm. And... Calm. She was almost slack, only loosely hanging on Emira's shoulders. She didn't remember ever being so relaxed. So... Free? Would that be the right word? Her mind felt too fuzzy for that. Her eyelids were also slightly heavier. This was too new for her to comprehend, but it felt really, really nice, so she wasn't in the position to complain. Her annoying parasite hasn't talked in a while either, so she trampled the worry eating at her chest. It's fine. At least it will leave her alone for the rest of the day.

"We've been falling for a while, " Emira murmured against her shoulder, her warm breath ghosting her neck and making her stomach twist. Her heart did a flip. "We aren't going to get hurt are we?"

"Nope." She inwardly cheered when her voice didn't waver; gods know how many times that happened when she was nervous. Emira uncurled herself, but she didn't move away from Viney. One the contrary, and to her growing dread, she nestled further into her arms, head settling more comfortably under her other witch's chin again, (did she actually just do that what is happening-) hands cradled to her chest.

'Oh, my fucking gods I'm literally going to die here-"

"When are we going to stop falling?"

"If I don't finish the process? Never." She answered. At this point she was forcing herself to breathe normally, her lungs seemingly wanting to expose her utter lack of composure at that moment. She wanted to use a teleportation spell, dig a hole in the ground and stay in it for eternity. She was so close, and so warm, and was that the faint smell of sweet pine cone?

Cardiac arrest was a very big probability right now.

"How do you finish it?"

"I take the chalk, " she flexed her right hand, telling her wordlessly where it was, " and grind it to dust." She shrugged, hyper-aware of how her hands moved. "After that, I just throw the dust wherever. It's not really that complicated, but if you haven't been here before it's confusing."

"But you don't have a rock or a solid surface to grind it properly."

Viney was confused for a second. "I do it with my bare hands?"

Emira made a choked sound. Viney immediately released the other girl from her grasp, concern in her eyes as they darted across her face. "Hey, hey! What happened? You feel good there?"

The green-haired witch nodded through her coughing fit, tears in her eyes, and redness to her face that wasn't there before. "I'm fine!" She painfully wheezed out. "I'm fine!" Emira shook her head. "You can- You can do it with your hands?!"

She tilted her head, shooting her a perplexed look. "Yes? I already said that?"

"I don't believe you."

"Oh... Okay? I mean I'm not sure why-"

"I don't. Believe you."

She scoffed.

"Well, what do you want me to do, show you?"

"Yes!"

"Seriously?!"

"Yeah!"

"But why though?"

"Seeing is believing."

Viney's face twisted up at that. "That's a Luz saying, please don't use Luz saying."

Emira smirked, and her stomach twisted again. She sighed.

"Fine. I really don't know why it's such a big deal though."

Emira flushed. "Just do it, Viney."

She almost lost the grip on her chalk.

Oh gods, why did she have to say her name like that?

She hastily let go of her shoulders, bringing her hands up, palms facing Emira with the chalk placed between the ring and middle finger of her right hand. She turned them, letting them face upwards, and the chalk fell into the center of her palm

Viney closed her hand, and a satisfying crunching noise followed. She moved her knuckles a bit, adding more pressure, then opened it back up.

Black dust was all that remained. And that was to be anticipated.

What wasn't though, was the way Emira went utterly crimson. From her neck to her ears, the poor girl looked like she got a terrible sunburn. 

At this point, Viney was beyond confused.

"Seriously are you alright? You keep turning all sorts of red and I'm honestly starting to think you drank pinrut-"

Emira squawked, and hit her hand away, making the dust float up into the air all at once.

"Wait, no-"

All of a sudden they were whacked by an invisible force, propelling them higher, a direct hit to the stomach. Both gasped out all the air they had in their lungs. Viney acted quickly, but only got as far as grabbing her backpack-

Before they were forcefully shoved to the ground, their rapid descent more nauseating and fear-inducing. They were falling ten times faster and Viney scrambled to shoulder her bag. Emira started screaming again and Viney grabbed her by the hood, yanking her closer and tipping them over so Emira's back was pressed onto her front.

"This is gonna suck so keep your eyes closed!" She cried out over the rushing wind, mentally counting in her head. Emira dug her fingers into Viney's forearm.

'Three.'

There was a blinding yellow light behind them.

'Two.'

She tightened her grip on Emira, tracing a circle with her pinky in and encasing them into a force field.

'One.'

If asked to re-tell this entire incident, Viney would only say "Crash landings fucking suck."

Her back collided with something solid, so unexpectedly and so harshly a shock went up to her spine. She could hear a ringing sound as air failed her again, not knowing if it came from her ears or something else. She could see spots behind her eyelids, the force field cracking and dissipating.

Two agonizing seconds pass and she releases a breath of relief. Well, that was over.

"Ugh..." She groaned. Her back felt so sore. She slowly opened up her eyes, blinking away the moisture and blurriness from them. Adding to the difficult sight situation, there was dust everywhere, in a thick layer as well. She knew that they landed somewhat safely. She huffed out a laugh. "Next time, yell a warning please."

There was a gasp and Viney felt fingers dig into her forearms again. "You're alive!" Emira exhaled in relief.

She let out an amused snort. "Sore everywhere, but very much alive yeah." She tried to move around, to get up and keep going, but it was hard with Emira gripping onto her like she was about to evaporate. "Uh..."

"Are you okay?"

"Peachy. Can you get off please?"

"Oh yeah. Sorry."

That interaction felt... Really awkward.

Emira stood up with a bit of difficulty, but after dusting off her leggings and shoulders, she looked fine. Slightly shaken yes, but fine. She angled her neck slightly to do a once over, checking for any bruises or anything that needed healing, and feeling oddly relieved when she noticed there were none.

Viney breathed in, letting her head fall down again, the smell of wet dirt reaching her nose. She lightly smiled, the weight literally lifted off her chest.

'At least we got here.'

She was faced with a hand laying available in front of her. She looked up into apologetic sandy eyes and Emira's crooked grin. A bashful one if you will.

"Let me help you up, " she said. While it wasn't really an apology, Viney didn't really feel like she needed one. As much as she hated to admit, and she will admit it to only herself and no one else, that smile alone was worth thousands of crashes. That grin was enough.

She smirked. That didn't mean she wasn't going to tease later.

She accepted, grabbing the offered hand and pulling herself up.

(She immediately told herself not to notice the way her skin felt, or how fingers were calloused just the slightest bit, or how it invoked a zap sensation that traveled everywhere and cursed herself when she did.)

She may have been holding longer than intended. May have.

But she let go and turned around to look at the impact point. There was a visible dent in the ground, very Viney shaped, that made her glad she activated the shield when she did. It would have ended pretty badly for her if she's didn't.

'Again, at least we're here.'

Her back still felt incredibly sore.

She tried to shrug off her backpack but she quickly tensed. That landing affected her a bit more than she was liked to admit, and her shoulders agreed with her since they sent stinging pain down her back. She lowly hissed, trying to force herself to get it over with while being as quiet as she allowed herself to be.

Emira noticed. 

Of course, she did.

"Need some help?"

'Yes.' 

She tried to wave the offer away. "Nah, I'm okay."

But her shoulder locked up for a solid second, pain spiking up, and she would have bit her tongue hard enough to draw blood if Emira didn't already move. Her hands touched her shoulder and stopped any movement that Viney might have done. 

"Tell me what do you need."

She grunted in annoyance but complied nonetheless. She really needed that salve. "I need you to open my backpack and take out a vile with some blue-ish liquid inside."

Emira did as asked. It was swift, and it surprised Viney how delicately she handled the things she found inside. She also never lingered around to take a look at the other stuff she had in there, which she will be forever grateful for. She didn't need her to see a certain photo that would spark questions, which she wasn't ever prepared to answer.

"This?" She asked, arm reaching over her shoulder, and making Viney have an internal heart attack. 

"Yeah, " she said, nervously eyeing the arm draped next to her head. She didn't even take a good look at the actual vile.

Emira closed the flap on her bag and then proceeded to hook her thumbs under the straps of it and tug. 

And by tugging Viney meant that the rest of Emira's hands leisurely traced her arms while sliding her backpack off. She had to clench her teeth not to shiver, but she felt goosebumps rise up her back and down where Emira touched, leaving tingles in its wake. It sent her heart into overdrive, she could hear it in her head, and it would beat out of her chest any second if she wasn't careful.

Her panicked brain wondered if Emira could hear it. Fuck, she hoped not.

The backpack fell with a thud on the floor. 

"So... How do you even use this thing?" Her voice had a weird waver to it, and she felt a small knot form in her throat.

'Focus, idiot! Focus!'

"You pop open the cap first, " she said. When she heard the other girl do what she told her, she went on, "then you cast a spell over the bottle and another one over the injured area. In my case, it's my shoulders and back."

"Aren't you supposed to.... " she trailed off.

"Supposed to what?"

"Take off your cowl?"

Her heart stopped. "No!" She yelped. Her face felt very, very heated.

"Okay! Chill! I didn't go to the Healing Track okay? I don't know how it's supposed to work!"

"Just cast the spells and think of fixing a wound!"

Emira did just that. One circle over the rim of the vile, one over each shoulder, and one big enough to encompass her entire back. She exhaled in concentration, the contents of the vile and spell loops glowing. The substance inside started buzzing and boiling, swirling itself until it looked like light was trapped inside a bottle, white and blinding.

Viney felt a weird, cold sensation crawl up her back and shoulders, precisely where Emira drew the circles, and it made her shiver.

It reminded her of that thing in her head.

As fast as it started, the light dimmed, and the liquid settled down. Emira took a closer look, and what remained was water.

She blinked. "Is that a normal thing?"

"What?"

"The thing you made me cast spell over. It's only water now."

"Yes. It's normal. It's called salve by the way."

"It doesn't really look like salve... But why did it do that though?"

Viney smirked. "So very curious are you?" She laughed as Emira sputtered. "When you thought of fixing my wounds, the ingredients inside that could help me swirled together, " she moved her shoulders around, and cracked her neck, the effect already taking place, "which created the glowing thing you saw. The water was merely added to help the process. So you basically stripped medical herbs from a potion, " she crouched down to take her backpack, " and transferred them to my back. Nothing complicated."

"That's... That's fascinating actually, " she said in awe. Her eyes were wide, and for a moment she looked like a child with a thirst for wonder. "Does this apply to every type of healing you do?"

Viney shook her head. "No, only sometimes. Often we only cast spells to fix a cut or a bruise, but when it's bigger than that we utilize healing patches. That kind of salve you use if for a deadly wound, but since I forgot to put healing patches in my bag I had to use it if I don't want to be paralyzed for a day or two."

"Healing sounds so cool..."

"You could join if you want to." She added, in a way she hoped appeared nonchalant. "Principal Bump allows multiple track studies now, so I don't think he'll say anything."

Emira lost the wonder in her eye, and Viney wanted to smack herself with a boulder. "No, I don't think that's a good idea."

She shrugged, but she felt her stomach twist at the fact she made her unhappy. Her mind was running at high speeds, trying to find something that would bring back that shine, when she remembered why they were there in the first place.

A light turned on in her head.

"So..." She drawls out, a playful tilt to her lips. "You witches from the Illusion Track like to magic with a hint of showmanship right?"

"I suppose so, yes, " she answered, raising a questing eyebrow. "Why?"

"I think you'll like what you're about to see then." Viney twirls a finger, and with a grin, she says "Ostium revelare tuum."

The dust clears, and the ground at their feet starts cracking, light shining through the gaps. A door bursts open from the dirt, blue and gold with a capital 'H' carved on the front, in a flurry of fireworks and illusion animals, confetti spiraling out and creating a beautiful arch of color. There's a massive banner floating right above the entrance with loopy writing spelling out 'Hexground Market! Special Hexide equipment for witches and witchlings alike!'

Emira's jaw hit the floor. Viney cackled.

"See? Told you you'd like it!"

"This is absolutely amazing!" Emira regained her spark, hands balling from excitement, voice high pitched, and close to squealing. She looked ecstatic, gaze darting around to look at the realistic illusions of the animals. "Oh, my sweet Belos! They even got the direction of the fur right! And those scales look so detailed! And the confetti? It was a perfect arch!" She whirled around, golden eyes meeting swampy green, and Viney felt electricity in her limbs. "Where does this even go?"

"It's an underground market. Its made specifically for Hexide students. Here you can get materials for your classes, which is why I'm here, " she answered, hand already on the knob. "So you coming or not?"

Emira jogged up to her, nodding. Viney twisted the knob, and they stepped through the threshold. 

The whole scenery changed completely; the darkness that never ended was now replaced by a huge cave with a high ceiling and a colorful array of stands, decorated mainly with gold and blue, each flashy sign depicting the contents of the stand every individual seller has. It was bright and well kept, a big difference from The Market from above that is commonly used, and it was thriving with students, chatting, and looking through products. Everything was encased in a translucent bubble, that had the vague outline of old stone walls.

It looked beautiful. Viney never got bored of seeing it.

"How did I not know of this place...?" Emira asked, still gaping at everything around her. She looked close to combusting, twitching in one direction or another to go and take peek at each individual product. She let her hood down at the entrance, something about it being 'too hot' for her.

Viney watches on, amused, and proud of herself while walking along the path worn in the ground. She knew it would be quite a surprise for her well-off friend since this place wasn't really made accessible for her status.

"It's mostly for witches who don't have such a stable snail income or are struggling to find what they need in The Market above. Principal Bump made it, and he informs only the students of lower classes about it."

"He did it all by himself?" Emira gestures to the ceiling. "All of it?"

"I think? He didn't say anything about it, but I have a feeling he did. He is a strong old headmaster after all."

"Wow!" She laughed. "Just... Wow."

"Yeah..." 

It was peaceful for a beat, both of them trying to figure out what to do while they walked. That topic of the conversation ended, but another one just seemed to elude them. It's not like it was awkward, on the contrary, but they just wanted to talk, to know more about each other. In a subtle way of course; Viney had no intention of being forward about her apparent interest in this green-haired, golden-eyed, truly breathtaking young witch strolling next to her. It was a wonder to her why Emira even decided to stay around here this long, she could have just left to do her own thing after Viney hid her from those kids, but nope! She decided to come along and continuously give her heart attacks. It didn't bother her as much as it should, since every time it happened she felt... Something akin to a thrill in her whole being, an exciting feeling in her bones that, when dispersed left her wanting for more, more and more until she felt breathless and flushed, her knees unstable and want jamming in her throat like a red string being tied together-

She completely stopped her brain.

Wow, where did that train of thought go?? 

"So..." She heard from beside her, nervousness spiking up. "You never told me why we needed to fall down a never-ending hole to get here. And why we almost crashed into the ground at speeds close to lighting."

Her brain re-arranged itself. "Oh right..." She blinks once. "It's mostly for protection. Bump only shows you the entrance once, the same with how to open it. He added the never-ending fall just in case someone figured it out how to get past the first part. And it did that because you're supposed to take a very small amount and throw it from time to time until you're done with it. Not all of it in one second." She shook her head at a silly memory surfacing again. "The first time Bump showed me how to do it, he told me I screamed worse than a banshee high on screeching juice."

Emira wheezed. "What?!"

She grinned. "Yeah! I kept flailing around like a fish and turned green from how fast I was spinning, " she cackled. "I think I gave him the scare of a lifetime!"

"Oh, my gods!" She breathlessly snickered. She was grabbing her stomach at this point, hunched over and laughing like it was the funniest thing she heard in her life. "Imagining it makes it so much better!"

Not that Viney was any different. "I know right?!" 

And so that's how they walked, exchanging stories and pranks, Emira asking questions from time to time and Viney more than happy to answer.

She didn't notice the absence of her parasite.

\------------------------------------

"Edric never tried to down a gallon of milk ever again."

"I'm still in shock that you actually let him do that."

"I was bored! And plus, he always does stupid stuff that turns into comedy hour for me. He's just that good of an entertainer."

"You sound really evil right now."

"Who said I'm not?"

"You look like a pampered kitten."

"H-hey!"

"I'm not wrong!"

"Well, you-"

"Don't try to compare me to a plant because of my name."

"Wait how-"

"Your Highness, I have faced that joke way too many times back in Glandys."

"You're a transfer from Glandys?"

Shit. Shit shit shit. She slipped up.

Oh no. 

"Uh... Yeah. I am."

"How was it back there?"

Viney exhaled. Okay, it wasn't that bad. She just had to pray Emira wouldn't ask for more personal things.

"Depends on what you want me to say. I could spend half a day talking about architecture and history, but I doubt you'll be awake by the end."

She giggled. It made her heart melt.

"No, I want to know about how it was there for you."

Oh. Okay.

She just needed to be... Careful.

"It was really..." She thinks about sneers, about cruel grins, about sharp eyes and loud, angry voices. "Boring. It was really plain compared to Hexide."

"Huh. How do you study there?"

"We spent more than half the day walking around to get from class to class. We usually only finished everything we had to do when it was really late at night, then we would change and pass out on our beds."

"Wait what? You guys have beds there?"

"Yeah. When you apply you sorta... Move-in. In a way. You take a majority of your clothes and other things, and they assign you a small room. You don't share with anyone else, so it's your own private area. The only problem was that the staff were negligent with the keys, leaving them out in the open very often. And well... Trouble makers took advantage of that."

"Did someone ever-?"

"I changed the lock two times a day. No one managed to break into my room."

"Oh..."

"They weren't the most ideal situations, not to mention that the uniforms were really, really weird, but the teachers were... Better than ours at Hexide. In a way."

"How so?"

"They were kinder, and they actually took pleasure in teaching us. No offense, but our History teacher at Hexide has absolutely no respect for himself what so ever."

"Can't say I disagree. What track did you choose there?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Oh, come on!"

"Nope, not telling you."

"Ugh fine. What about friends? Are there any memorable witches you used to know?"

Sharp fangs flash in her mind. She feels her forearms hurt.

"Hm... No, not really, but there was this demon kid that tried to shoot his abomination through the principal's window because she gave them a bad grade. They missed and the abomination landed in a cauldron filled with some sort of potion that gives sentience to objects. Most memorable disaster ever."

"Oh my God..."

"The abomination had a nice personality at least. It was a great helper for all of us for a while until it kind of dried out because someone forgot to add more snake oil to it."

"That sounds epic. Give me more, maybe I'll use it in our own boring school."

"I better shut up then."

"You're so mean!"

"But you like it anyway!"

Emira huffed, ears twitching downwards and face going red. "Yeah, I do."

"What?"

"So you said this place is for supplies?"

"Y-yeah? Why?"

"Well, what do you need from here?"

"I gotta get some things for our meeting this Friday."

"Oh? What kind of things?"

"Fruits, vegetables, herbs, meat... Things to distract or calm a beast in case something goes wrong."

"Only that?"

"Kinda?"

"A while ago I saw two students going inside the cages, and the one from Beast Keeping had some weirdly casual clothes for Hexide ground. Is it important in some way?"

"Oh right! No, in the manual it says that if a student accompanies another in the cages, they can either wear their uniform or some durable casual clothes. It's just for the safety of the student."

"How does wearing different clothes help you stay safe? Don't you need some sort of armour?"

"Ha! Armour is so heavy! And it's kind of useless in there. It's in case the student needs to make a fast escape. Let's say a Float Crow got angry again; you know how that looks, so you need to run away extremely fast, right? How would you do that in armour?"

"You can't?"

"Exactly. Casual attire doesn't restrict movement, which means more flexibility, and more speed."

"You- you need to be in great shape for that..."

"Yep."

"Like... In- in really, really great shape."

"Mm-hm."

"Very... Very good shape... oh gods."

"Yes. Hey, you're really red again!"

Emira squeaked. "I'm fine! Look at that! Isn't that the stall we're supposed to go to?"

Viney looked in the direction the red-faced witch pointed to, eyebrows raised.

There was indeed a stand with an orange and brown banner that read, 'Uniforms/Flee Attire for the Beast Keeping Students!' in big, bold letters. Viney whistled.

"Keen eye you got there! Good job."

"Haha! Yes! Keen eyes! Yes!"

"Why did you say 'yes' twice?"

"I did? Did I? You'll never know!"

"Hm... Okay? We need to hurry though. I don't have my scroll with me, so I can't tell the time, " she said, already walking towards the stand. "I don't want to keep you here more than necessary..."

Emira walked stiffly with her, hands behind her back. She was really red for some reason, and Viney felt concerned for her companion.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

She looked into those golden eyes, and they softened. "I swear, I'm fine." She answered, lightly smiling.

Viney nodded.

They reached the owner, a snazzy-looking minotaur with a golden fang and beads dangling from his curved horns. He looked pretty intimidating, but he waved them over with a warm grin when he spotted Viney.

"Jungle Vine! How is my dear menace doing on this lovely day?" He said, leisurely resting his arms on the counter. He did a once over of Emira, raising a questioning eyebrow. "And it looks like you brought a guest. How unusual for our lone Murderwolf!" 

"Jungle Vine? Murderwolf?"

Viney sighed. "Long story." She waved to the minotaur, a bored smile on her face. "Good to see you too, Bones."

Emira looked half confused, half scared. "Bones?"

"Short for 'Boneheus the Spine-Ripper'! A pleasure to meet you, miss...?"

"Oh, uh... Emira."

"Miss Emira! Now, tell me, " he stretched over the counter, head resting comfortably on his palms, "what brings you to my humble stand? We have a wide range of uniforms and outfits from which you can choose!" He traced a circle, and a long row of clothes appeared behind him. "All the way from simple, honestly outdated Hexide uniforms-" he took out a very plain-looking uniform, with the trademark white sleeves for beginners in witchcraft, "to beautifully stylized Flee Attire!" Another outfit appeared behind him, a long dress with neon orange and pink coloration, black stripes running along the sides of it. It also had a pair of ridiculous shoes that Viney refused to look at for more than half a second. "Honestly, I keep telling Bump to redesign your uniforms, they're so medieval era." He tsk, shaking his head. "He never listens..."

"That's really nice Bones, but you know I wouldn't be caught dead in that thing, " Viney said, pointing to the incarnation of eye-sore that was the outfit behind him. "I need casual, simple, and flexible."

The minotaur threw the two pieces of attire behind him, huffing. "Yes, yes, I know Jungle Vine. You and your simplistic style, it's a bore sometimes."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"My dear, that monotone style can kill a man!"

"Better for me."

"You and the girls, I swear."

"Well, I don't get what you see in men."

"They are the peak of beauty I tell you!"

"Sure..." Viney drawled out with a smirk. "Just yesterday I saw a dude with a mullet and an outgrown beard."

Bones gasped. He places a hand on his chest, feigning being hurt. "Well! There are always some exceptions." He swiveled around, pretending to look for something. "Where can I find that mushroom bomb dear Barkus gave me?"

Viney laughed. "Told you!"

Emira was just standing in the side-lines, confused. 

After calming down, Viney became serious again. "Okay, but I really need that Flee Outfit."

"Yes, of course! I have a few options right..." He rummaged around through the clothing line, pulling out three hangers. "Here!" He gave them to her, and Viney took them with a grateful 'thank you'. "You know, I still don't get why you need these."

"I'm on protection duty this Friday, " she said tilting her head in Emira's direction. "Gotta make sure I have the gear for it."

"Darling, this is hardly gear."

"It's in the manual!" She sing-songs. "Also, pop out the changing room I need to test these out."

Bones twirled a finger, and in a poof of pink smoke, (Viney shook her head. 'So extra.') A rectangular compartment appeared. She opens the door and takes one step inside before she stops and turns around. "Bones?"

"Yes?"

"Make sure Emira doesn't get in trouble. And no embarrassing stories."

He smirks. "You wound me Murderwolf."

She rolls her eyes, and closes the door behind her.

\--------------------------------------

"So, Emira darling, tell me, " the minotaur twirls a finger again and the changing room glows, "what are your intentions with Jungle Vine?"

"What-"

"Dear, we both know you don't see her as only a friend. Being honest would help your case and waste less of my time."

"Uh-"

"C'mon Emira, " he tilts his head, grinning and showing his sharp fangs. "I don't bite."

She has to stop her own mouth from forming a sneer on instinct. She knows he's trying to intimidate her, and rising up to it wouldn't be a wise idea. So she bites her tongue a little and smiles, "I hope not."

He looks surprised for a second. "Hm! Self-control. Interesting."

"Can Viney hear us?"

"I did the mute spell for a reason."

"Smart."

"I'm a fifty-thousand year old minotaur-demon, I like to think I have some wisdom."

Emira chuckles. "You sure do."

He smirks. "Answer my question, and if I like you, I might tell you why I call her Jungle Vine."

"Why not tell me about Murderwolf?"

He loses his smirk. "It's not my place."

She nods. Fair point.

"I don't have bad intentions. There's... There's just something about her. It's a special kind of fire she has that makes me feel... Breathless in a way? It difficult to explain..." She crossed her hands loosely, eyes on the floor. "I know you might want more details, but honestly I don't think I have any to give you when I'm not sure about them myself. Viney is different, and I want to get to know her. To know what she likes, what she hates..." She swallowed. "What she adores." She sighs. "I might be a troublemaker but I don't play with people's emotions. That's cruel."

The minotaur hums. "You Blight children are different."

Her eyes widen, gaze snapping upwards. "How-"

"Those clothes aren't really that rugged for this place, and your cuffs have the star thing that's iconic for your family," he said smiling. Then smirked again. "You also look like a pampered kitten but that's details."

Emira sputtered. "Why does everyone say that?!"

He shrugged. "Beats me. But hey," he leans closer, " at least you only look like one." He ruffles her hair. "That heart isn't stone yet."

She sheepishly smiles, and in the back of her head she thinks, 'Is this what a father is supposed to be?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ostium revelare tuum = Latin for "Reveal your door to me" or something along those lines. Google translate isn't that reliable
> 
> Pinrut= turnip reversed. I used to get really angry and red when I had to eat these so you can guess why I decided to use them like this :)
> 
> If you want to scream at me to update faster I have a Twitter: hahalumity
> 
> Also if you do that, you can also check out naosucheeks there as well. Her Vinira comic inspired me to create this fic! Thanks for reading and have a nice day/night!


	5. Author's note

Hey guys! Sadly, I know this is not an update, and I'm really sorry about that, but I kinda have an important announcement??

School is starting in my country, and in my experience as a student here the first half of the year can be downright _murderous_ when it comes to classes and homework. Since the beginning of the new system for the school, and the summer homework they gave us, I haven't really been able to write anything at all for the fic. Or any other projects to be honest. It's hard balancing all this and trying to write when it saps absolutely all the motivation outta me.

That does not mean I'm gonna stop writing! No way! You guys will have to deal with these gays for more than just four chapters! But I haven't had the time and I felt bad when I couldn't give you guys any content, and since I know I won't be working on this for a while, this fic will be on a hiatus until all this school biz settles down.

I am truly grateful for all the amazing comments you guys leave here, and all of them make me smile! On that note, OH MY GOD 300+ KUDOS LSKFKSKDKLSJFJD YOURE ALL SO PRECIOUS THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! I FREAKED OUT SO MUCH WHEN I SAW IT LIKE AHHHHHHH!!!! IT MADE ME SO HAPPY???? TO SEE THAT YOU GUYS LIKED WHAT I WAS WRITING???? LIKE I CANT EVEN EXPRESS HOW MUCH I CHERISH YOU GUYS ITS INSANE-

So yes! This fic is _not_ discontinued, it's on a (hopefully) small hiatus, and this little wolf _will_ come back with more chapters! I just need more time than anticipated :")

Have an amazing night/day, stay safe, hydrated, and thank you so so much for taking the time to read this! <3

**Author's Note:**

> So was it good??
> 
> I was thinking of writing another chapter but I don't know?
> 
> Ahhh anyway have a nice day/night guys!
> 
> Inspired by naosucheeks on Twitter!


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